Gaseous electric discharge device



May 10, 1938. Ew s ET 2,116,672

GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Aug. 21, 1936 Fig.1

INVENTORS Hans Ewesc Georg Gaidi 5 ORNEY Patented May 10, 1938 GASEOUSELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Hans Ewest, Berlin-[dchterfelde-Ost, and GeorgGaidies, Berlin-Pankow, Germany, assignors to General Electric Company,a corporation of New York Application August 21, 1936, Serial No. 97,292

In Germany August 31, 1935 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to gaseous electric discharge devicesgenerally and more particularly the invention relates to such devices ofthe cathode glow type useful in television apparatus, or

the like.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cathode glow lampwhich is responsive to extremely high frequency currents. Another objectof the invention is to provide a cathode glow lamp which is a bright,sharply defined, linear light source. Still further objects andadvantages attaching to the device and to its use and operation will beapparent to those skilled in the art from the following particulardescription.

In accordance with these objects the cathode glow lamp comprises atubular container having an elongated sheet metal cathode mountedtherein, which cathode is folded along its length so that the sidesthereof are at an acute angle with respect to each other. An anodeconsisting of a flat plate approximately equal in length to saidcathode, having edges overlapping said cathode and a slot or slit inline with the vertex of said cathode is mounted in said container infront of the open 2 side of said cathode. The lamp container has agaseous atmosphere therein comprising a mixture of neon and helium inwhich the helium constitutes more than 50% of the neon helium mixture.Preferably the gaseous atmosphere comprises a mixture of 70% helium and30% neon and a small amount of argon. When desired. the gaseousatmosphere comprises a trace of hydrogen, or water vapor in addition tothe argon and the neonhelium mixture. When desired, the water vapor isevolved from a material containing water, such as copper sulphate,mounted in the container. A

lamp having this structure is a brightly luminous,

sharply defined, linear light source and is useful in televisionreceivers in which the number of picture points is in excess of 100,000per second.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification anembodiment of the invention is shown in which Fig. 1 is a frontelevational view of a cathode glow lamp embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational, partly sectional view of the lamp shown inFig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a top, sectional view of the lamp shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing the cathode glow lamp comprises a tubularcontainer 1 having a stem 2 fused thereto at one end thereof and closedat the other end thereof by the seal-off tip 1; :Two current leads 4 and5 are hermetically sealed into the pinch 3 of said stem 2. A cathode 6consisting of an elongated, sheet metal strip folded along its length sothat the sides thereof are at an angle of approximately 20 to to eachother is mounted on said current lead 4. Said cathode i g is alsosupported by a wire 8 which is attached to the opposite end of saidcathode 6 and extends into the exhaust tip I as illustrated in Figs. 1and 2. A plate shaped anode 9 having flanges II on the long sidesthereof which overlap the edges of iii the long sides of the cathode 6is mounted in front of said cathode 6. Said anode 9 has a slit l3therein running along the length thereof which slit i3 is in line withthe vertex of the angular cathode B. The anode 9 is mounted on said cur-I rent lead 5 and is partially supported in said container l by saidwire 8 to which it is physically connected by the wires ll having glassheads I! interposed therebetween to electrically separate said anode 9from said cathode 6. The outer sura face of the cathode 6 is coated withan insulating coating H, such as aluminum oxide, so that the cathodeglow discharge is confined to the inner surface of said cathode 6. Whendesired, the inner surface of the cathode 6 has an activating g5coating, such as a barium oxide coating, thereon. The luminous, cathodeglow discharge concentrates at or adjacent the vertex of said cathode iand is a bright line of light. The anode 9 serves as a screen and thelight emitted by the glow dis- '0 charge passes through the slit l3. Thedischarge device is thus a brightly luminous, sharply defined linearlight source.

Said container I has a gaseous atmosphere therein comprising a smallquantity of argon and a neon-helium mixture in which the heliumpreferably constitutes of the mixture and the neon approximately 30% ofthe mixture. A cathode glow lamp having such a gaseous filling isresponsive to currents of higher frequencies than similar devices havinga gaseous filling consisting of or comprising a mixture of neon andhelium in which the neon is in major proportion and the helium in minorproportion, and is useful in tele- 5 vision receivers in which thenumber of picture points is in excess of 100,000 a second.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is:-

1. A cathode glow lamp comprising a tubular 0 container, a gaseousatmosphere therein, an elongated, angular cathode and an anode sealedtherein, said cathode being a rectangular plate folded along its length,the angle between the sides of said cathode being between 50 and 20,said u anode being mounted in front of the open side of said cathode andhaving a slit therein in line. with the vertex of said cathode.

2. A cathode glow lamp comprising a tubular container, a gaseousatmosphere therein, an elongated, angular cathode and an anode sealedtherein, said cathode being a rectangular plate folded along its length,the angle between the sides of said cathode being between 50 and saidanode being mounted in front of the open side of said cathode and havinga slit therein in line with the vertex of said cathode, said gaseousatmosphere comprising a mixture of neon and helium in which thepercentage of helium is greater than about 50%.

' 3. A cathode glow lamp comprising a tubular container, a gaseousatmosphere therein, an elongated, angular cathode and an anode sealedtherein, said cathode being a rectangular plate folded along its length,the angle between the sides of said cathode being between 50 and 20,said anode being mounted in front of the open side of said cathode andhaving a slit therein in line with the vertex of said cathode, saidgaseous atmosphere comprising a mixture of neon and helium in which thehelium is approximately 70% and the neon approximately of the mixture.

4. A cathode glow lamp comprising a tubular container, a gaseousatmosphere therein, an elongated, angular cathode and an anode sealedtherein, said cathode being a rectangular plate folded along its length,the angle between the sides of said cathode being between and 20, saidanode being mounted in front of the open side of said cathode and havinga slit therein in line with the vertex of said cathode, said gaseousatmosphere comprising a mixture of neon and helium in which thepercentage of helium is greater than about 50% and a small quantity ofother gas in said container.

HANS EWEST. GEORG GAIDIES.

